Senate rejects former Sen. Ann Duplessis for LSU governing board

BATON ROUGE -- In a rare move, the Louisiana Senate rejected Gov. Bobby Jindal's nomination of former Sen. Ann Duplessis to the Louisiana State University System Board of Supervisors, likely a casualty of long-standing political rivalries and machinations in New Orleans.

File photoState Sen. Ann Duplessis

There was not a public up-or-down vote on Duplessis, who resigned last year to join New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration. Rather, when senators emerged from an executive session to discuss and vote on a long list of nominees to state boards and commissions, Duplessis' name did not appear. Earlier in the session, Duplessis sat before the Senate Confirmations Committee for a brief hearing. None of her former colleagues raised a question at the time.

By tradition, the confirmations panel makes its recommendations to the full Senate in executive session. Senators generally can spike nominees who reside in their districts, though there is no public record of such a move. Sen. Cynthia Willard-Lewis, D-New Orleans, made no public comment on whether she is responsible for rejecting her predecessor in District 2. Asked before the comprehensive confirmations vote whether Duplessis would be confirmed, she told a Times-Picayune reporter, "I don't think so" and walked away, returning to her desk on the Senate floor.

Duplessis took a seat on the LSU governing board upon Jindal's nomination. The governor now must select a replacement. LSU System President John Lombardi said via written statement Thursday, "We regret the loss of former Sen. Duplessis. Her participation has been significant and substantial, and we had looked forward to her long term involvement. We wish her the best and expect to ask for her advice and counsel on an informal basis in the future."